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Retta Hastings Chase Zimmerman died peacefully with her children at her side on October 16, 2026, in Nags Head, North Carolina. Retta was born in Salisbury, Maryland, the daughter of Harvey Hayden and Sula Mumford Hastings. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Norwood and Harvey (Jr.) Hastings, their wives, and two nephews, Harvey H. Hastings, III and Russell P. Hastings. She was also preceded in death by her first husband, James M. Chase, Jr., MD, who died in a plane crash in 1971, and by his parents, James McAllister and Edna M. Sheppard Chase. Her second husband of 46 years, Arthur F. Zimmerman, MD, died in 2018.
Retta graduated from Wicomico High School and received her RN degree from Peninsula General Hospital School of Nursing in Salisbury, Maryland. She earned a BS in Nursing Education and Master of Science from the University of Maryland at College Park. Retta was also awarded a fellowship in Maternal and Child Health Nursing from the University of Maryland. She was a member and president of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority and a member of Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. She taught Obstetric Nursing at the University of Maryland and at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. After her marriage to James Chase, she lived in California and Kentucky before moving to Dover, Delaware, where she lived for over sixty years.
A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Retta is survived by her children, Jeffrey M. Chase, MD and his wife Allie and her daughters Ellie and Lily of Southern Shores, North Carolina; Jill M. Chase, Esq. of Las Vegas, Nevada; her grandchildren James (Bridget), Paige (Jacob), Jenna, Pierce, and Nolan; her great grandchildren, McAllister and Hallie; her nieces Ursula Przylepa and Lucy Ann Miles of Salisbury, Maryland; and her stepsons, Arthur F. Zimmerman, Jr. (Lisa) and their daughter Hannah of Newark, Delaware, and Thomas P. Zimmerman of Wilmington, Delaware.
Retta was a member of Christ Church and served on the vestry and the altar guild. She was a past president of the Junior Board of Kent General Hospital and past president and lifelong member of the Potpourri Garden Club. She was a member of ECWIC Investment Club, Dover Century Club, and Maple Dale Country Club. She was an avid reader and enjoyed fellowship in the Ya Ya Book Club. Retta also spent many years traveling and playing bridge, tennis, and golf. Above all, she enjoyed spending time with her family.
Retta's family wishes to offer a special thank you to her longtime neighbors, Judy Allen and her late husband Ray; and Bert Butler and her late husband Walt, for the care, attention, transportation, and friendship they gave her. A memorial service and interment will be held at Christ Church in Dover at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Retta's memory may be made to Christ Church or a charity of choice. Please share expressions of love and sympathy with the Chase and Zimmerman families at www.gallopfuneralservices.com . Gallop Funeral Services, Inc. was entrusted with arrangements.
